his father was an accomplished folk musician, capable of a variety of folk instruments. During childhood, Babadjanian witnessed the Westernisation of music in Armenia: with the creation of the Armenian Philharmonic and the Union of Armenian Composers was formed in 1932; the opening of the Opera Theatre in Yerevan in 1933; and the première of Arno Babadjanians Symphony No. 1 in 1934. Babadjanians first formal lessons were at the Yerevan Conservatory with Vardkes Talian (1896-1947). Talian instilled a sense of Armenian musical history in Babadjanian by insisting that his young student study the folk traditions of his country, in addition to the music of the great Armenian composer and ethnomusicologist, Vartabed Komitas (1869-1935). He studied piano with Konstantin Igumnov (1873-1948) at the Moscow Conservatory

English composer and organist, his father and Dr. Pepusch being among his teachers. From some time after 1710, a musician in London concert halls 1718-23: Organist of All Hallows, Bread Street (London). Extant works include The Third Book of the Ladys Entertainment (1709); The Fourth Book of the Ladys Entertainment (1716); The Harpsichord Master Improved (1718)

Babin, Victor

13 Dec. 1908Moscow, Russia

1 Mar. 1972Cleveland, OH, USA

pianist, in particular as a duo with his wife Vitya Vronsky (b. 22 Aug. 1909, Russia; d. 28 Jun. 1992, Cleveland, OH, USA); compositions include a concerto for two pianos

one of the leading Lithuanian composers of the interwar period advocating modern composition techniques. After the outbreak of the WWII, Bacevicius settled in the USA in 1940. He taught at the New York and Brooklyn conservatoires, as well as Long Island Music Institute, wrote articles and gave lectures. In 1942 he established a private piano studio

German organist, teacher and composer who succeeded Zelter as director of the Institute for Church Music (1832). He was Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy's organ teacher. He is, however, unrelated to the famous Bach family

German composer, eldest son of Christoph Bach, he held the post of Kantor at Schweinfurt. His motet, Siehe, wie fein und lieblich, for two tenors and bass, accompanied by violin, three 'celli, and continuo, is in the Bach Archives

Bach, Georg Friedrich

17 Mar. 1793

2 Oct. 1860

German flautist, music teacher, music director, theorist, and composer

German organist and composer. Third son of Hans Bach, brother of Johann Bach and Christoph Bach. From 1641, organist of Arnstadt church a post he held for 51 years, until his death. He left organ pieces, and hymn-tunes in manuscript

Johann Bernhard studied briefly with his second cousin Johann Sebastian in Weimar, later becoming organist and court musician in Eisenach, the city of that cousin's birth. His excellent instrumental oeuvre is very much in the style of Telemann. Johann Sebastian performed four of his instrumental suites with his Collegium Musicum in Leipzig. Johann Bernhard was the father of Johann Ernst who became his colleague during the last year of his life

J.S. Bach's eleventh son, for a time organist at Milan Cathedral; as music master to the family of George III, J.C. Bach became known as 'The English Bach', he wrote operas, symphonies and works for keyboard, also successfully promoting concerts in London with Abel, the viola da gamba virtuoso. He also influenced the young 8 year-old Mozart on his visit to London

cousin of J.S. Bach's father; he wrote music appreciated by both J.S. and C.P.E. Bach, including motets on religious themes and works for keyboard. One of his finest works is a lament, Ach, dass ich Wassers g'nug hätte, with an accompaniment written for a consort of viols

Bach, Johann Christoph II

16 Jun. 1671Eisenach, Germany

22 Feb. 1721Ohrdruff, Germany

composer and organist. Brother of J.S. Bach who studied in Erfurt with Johann Pachelbel and went on to become assistant to Hans Bach in Arnstadt. He was appointed organist at Ohrdruff, a position he held for the rest of his life. J.S. Bach took clavichord lessons with him.

studied law at Leipzig for six years, returning to Eisenach and practicing as advocate. In 1748 was appointed assistant to his father, Johann Bernard, organist of St. George's church; in 1756, appointed honorary Kapellmeister at Weimar, with pension. Published compositions include sonatas for clavecin with violin., etc; many others exist in manuscript

Bach, Johann Friedrich

c. 1682

buried 8 February 1730

a German organist and composer

Bach, Johann Jacob

1682possibly Eisenach, Germany

1732

a German musician, composer and an older brother of Johann Sebastian Bach

Bach, Johann Lorenz

10 Sep. 1695Schweinfurt, Germany

14 Dec. 1773Lahm, Germany

organist and composer; one of J. S. Bach's cousins who studied with J. S. who was at that time court organist and court harpsichordist at Weimar

Johann Sebastian's second cousin was Kapelldirektor and court cantor in Meiningen. For this reason he is called "Meiningen Bach." in 1726, Johann Sebastian performed eighteen of his cousin's church cantatas, which like all his music is a fusion of Italian and German styles

German composer, son of Heinrich Bach (1615-1692), and distant relative of J.S. Bach, he was taught by his father and in 1665 became organist at Arnstadt castle, to be succeeded by J.S. Bach himself. His finest works are his motets although he wrote over 70 organ chorales, choral concerts and many instrumental works

Bach, Johann Michael II

9 Nov. 1745Struth, Germany

1820Elberfeld, Germany

organist and composer, who appears to be unrelated to the Bachs listed above

virtuoso instrumentalist, particularly on organ and harpsichord - he was probably one of the greatest exponents of these two instruments of his day; a prolific composer of instrumental, vocal, church and keyboard music of an extraordinarily high quality, but which proved to be the apogee of a contrapuntal style that was soon to be swept away by the musical style developed by his sons and adopted by their contemporaries

Bach, Johannes

1612

Dec. 1632

Bach, Karl (Carl) Philipp Emanuel

8 Mar. 1714Weimar, Germany

14 Dec. 1788Hamburg, Germany

J.S. Bach's third son; for 28 years at the court of Frederick the Great (C.P.E. accompanied his father on the occasion of the first performance of Bach's extemporisation on a 'musical subject' offered by Frederick, and which Bach later presented to Frederick entitled the Musical Offering; modern scholars believe the theme rather than being an invention of the King, was actually composed either by C.P.E. Bach or J.S. himself. C.P.E. Bach has left us detailed written evidence of performance practices of his day, as well as being the chief founder of the new sonata-symphony style which became, in the hands of Haydn and Mozart, what we call today the Classical style

pianist and highly successful song writer. Along with a great many hit songs, this composer has won three Academy Awards; one for the song Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head; one for the film score to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and one for the title tune to Arthur. His song Don't Make Me Over made singer Dionne Warwick a superstar, while his score for the Broadway play Promises, Promises gave a Tony Award to Jerry Ohrbach as best actor in a musical play

Bache, Francis Edward

14 Sep. 1833Birmingham, England

24 Aug. 1858Birmingham, England

pianist and composer whose early death disappointed those expecting notable developments

Bacheler (or Batchelar), Daniel

c. 1574Aston Clinton, England

1619Lee, Kent, England

English lutenist and composer whose composition date from 1588. Thestyle of some of his lute solos suggests that he was still composing in the last years of his life. More than 50 lute solos survive, in manuscript form. Some of his pieces require considerable technical skill, and he was one of the first lutenists to explore the lower sonorities of the instrument, occasionally taking a melody down to the fourth and fifth courses. He was probably the first English lutenist to play unmeasured preludes. His best known composition is probably Monsieurs Almain

composed and published a melodrama, songs and piano pieces in the popular style

Bachmann, Judith

fl. late 18th century

an exceptionally fine pianist whose compositions were published in Austria in 1796

Bachmann, Sixt [Joseph Siegmund Eugen]

18 Jul. 1754Ketterhausen, Germany

18 Oct. 1825Reutlingendorf, Germany

German composer. A child prodigy, he took part in an organ contest with the young W.A. Mozart in 1766; both emerged with credit. He later became a priest in Ober Marchthal, where he taught music and composed keyboard, sacred and other works

Bachofen, Johann Caspar [Hans Kaspar]

26 December 1695

23 June 1755

Swiss composer and music pedagogue

Bachrich, Sigmund [Sigismund]

23 Jan. 1841Zsambokreth

16 Jul. 1913Vienna, Austria

Austrian composer

Bachschmidt (or Bachschmid), (Johann) Anton (Adam)

11 Feb. 1728Melk, Nieder-Österreich, Austria

29 Dec. 1797Eichstätt

a composer known chiefly for his sacred music although he also wrote a number of fine early-classical concertos

Bacilieri, Giovanni

(fl. 1607-19)

Italian composer

Bacilly, Bénigne de

c. 1625

27 Sep. 1690

French singing teacher, composer and theorist

Back, Konrad

23 Jun. 1749

10 Apr. 1810

South German monastic musician and composer

Bäck, Sven-Erik

16 Sep. 1919Stockholm, Sweden

pupil of Petrassi; works include a symphony for strings, a sonata for solo flute and an opera entitled Crane Feathers

Polish composer and musicologist. He studied composition under the direction of Witold Rudzinski at the Warsaw Academy of Music and he graduated in 1974. Then he continued his studies in Vienna and in Paris, where he focused on composition and music analysis under Olivier Messiaen's direction, and studied electronic music at the Groupe de Recherches Musicales

film composer Klaus Badelt gained recognition in his native Germany for scoring dozens of films and commercials. In 1998, he accepted Oscar-winner Hans Zimmer's invitation to relocate to Santa Monica, USA in order to work at Media Ventures. He has since collaborated with Zimmer on scores for Gladiator, The Thin Red Line, The Prince of Egypt, Mission: Impossible 2, Hannibal and Pearl Harbor. In addition, he has also completed a variety of independent projects, including K-19: The Widowmaker, The Recruit and Basic

the son of Olaf Jørgensen, organist in Strømsø Church, Conrad Jørgensen later assumed the older family name of Baden. He trained in Oslo as an organist and later as a composer at the Leipzig Academy studying with Günter Raphael and Kurt Thomas. Later he studied also with Per Steenberg, Bjarne Brustad and in 1950 he travelled to Paris, to study under Jean Rivier and attended classes in composition under Honegger. Baden was also active as a writer. He was music critic for the newspapers Drammens Tidende, Vårt Land and Morgenbladet, as well as contributing editor to Nordisk Musikkkultur, Norsk Kirkemusikk and Norsk Musikktidskrift

Romanian composer now living in Canada. Her diversified output includes more than eighty major compositions for orchestra, for soloist(s) with orchestra, for choir, music for instrumental and vocal ensembles of various combinations, and works for multimedia

an American folk singer and songwriter known for her highly individual vocal style. She is a soprano with a three-octave vocal range and a distinctive throat vibrato. In addition, she is noted for her activism in the areas of nonviolence, civil and human rights and, in more recent years, the environment

Bagadurov (or Bagodurov, Bagaduroff), Vassili

22 Feb. 1878Nishi Novgorod, Russia

10 Oct. 1954Moscow, Russia

Russian composer and teacher of singing

Bagatti, Francesco [Bagati]

fl. 1658-c. 1680

Italian composer and organist

Bagge, Charles Ernest, Baron de [Bach]

14 Feb. 1722

24 Mar. 1791

French dilettante, amateur violinist, composer, patron of the arts, and instrument collector

Baggiani, Guido

4 Mar. 1932

&nbs;

Italian composer

Bagley, Edwin Eugene

1857Craftsbury, VT, USA

1922Keene, NH, USA

composer, particularly of military marches such as National Emblem March

Baglioncella, Francesca

16th centuryItaly

composer of madrigals

Baglioni, Girolamo

c. 1575

1608

Italian composer

Bagni, Benedetto [Bagnius, Benedictus]

fl. 1608

Italian composer and organist

Baguer, Carlos

Mar. 1768Barcelona, Spain

29 Feb. 1808Barcelona, Spain

a pupil of his uncle, Francesco Mariner who was organist of Barcelona Cathedral, Carlos succeeded him in 1786. By 1789 he had become principal organist of the Cathedral, a post he held until his death in 1808. Baguer was one of the most important musical figures in Catalonia at this time, his reputation enhanced particularly by his interpretations and improvisations on the organ. As the composer of nineteen symphonies, he is the principal symphonist of Spain during the classical era. These works show strongly the influence of Josef Haydn. In addition, his compositions include many works for keyboard, for church use, an opera (La principesa filósofa o sea El desdén con el desdén, 1797) and chamber music

Bahr, Johann [Bähr]

c. 1610Germany

3 Jun. 1670

Swedish organist and composer

Baif, Jean Antoine de

1532Venice, Italy

1589Paris, France

born in Venice where his father was the French ambassador, Baif was a guitarist, composer and poet. He wrote a method for the four string guitar entitled Instrucction pur apprendre la tablature de guiterne

Bailey came to Yale College in 1919 to study with Horatio Parker, who died that year. He studied instead with David Stanley Smith from 1920 to 1925, with Quincy Porter from 1925 to 1930, and with Roger Sessions. Following his musical studies he received an LL.B degree from the Cornell Law School in 1934 and practiced law the remainder of his life. He published a number of musical works

the composer writes: "my music has been changing a great deal over the last few years, mainly because of a shifting from my initial interest in New Complexity to something less stylistically definable. Exposure to Feldman, the later works of Karel Goeyvaerts and above all the music of the Italian composer Aldo Clementi resulted in a fascination with the ideas of obsessive repetition and monotony. In fact, someone once told me that they thought that Clementi's music was "an interesting shade of grey", an aesthetic that I've attempted to adopt for myself, as a kind of reaction against the ubiquitous "contrast" that dominates mainstream modernism, the idea that somehow we have to fit the entire universe of sounds into one piece."

French composer, author of Nouvelle méthode de guitarre selon le sisteme des meilleurs auteurs, contenant les moyens les plus clairs et les plus aises pour apprendre a accompagner une voix et parvenir a jouer tout ce qui est propre a cet instrument (first edition 1781). An important aspect of Baillon's method is that in it we find the first reference to the use of single strings on the guitar, although he states that he prefers the sound of double courses

virtuoso violinist pupil of Viotti who composed 9 violin concertos. Building on the pedagogical work he and his colleagues had accomplished at the Paris Conservatoire in the 1790s, he would later write one of the greatest treatises on violin playing, l'Art du violon (1834)

one of the senior musicians (singer-composers), in the service of the French Kings Henri IV (r. 1589-1610) and Louis XIII (r. 1610-1643), who composed in the style that dominated secular vocal music in France in the early 17th century, 'courtly song'

studied composition at the Royal College of Music with John Lambert from 1969-72. In 1973 and 1974 he studied with Gunther Schuller at Tanglewood, and from 1976-78 he was the Forman Fellow in Composition at Edinburgh University. In 1978, Bainbridge returned to the USA on a US/UK Bicentennial Fellowship. Back in England, he worked for a time at the National Theatre, before taking up a post as composer-in-residence for Southern Arts (1983-85). In 1987 he was awarded the Gemini Fellowship by the Worshipful Company of Musicians[taken from Chester/Novello website biography]

composer of interesting piano works who died as a result of tuberculosis. He composed chamber music, some songs and a few orchestral pieces, Baines was primarily a miniaturist, writing mainly for the piano. He had a particular gift for melody, and owed something to both Chopin and Scriabin in his musical language. Handsome tributes were paid to the young composer at his death: Frederick Dawson going so far as to declare that "he was the greatest composer of pianoforte music the English have ever had"

American composer who in 1996 received international notice when he was named one of the top composers by the International Clarinet Association for his jazz inspired chamber work, Crosstalk. He has also composed two symphonies, a string quartet, and several chamber music works. His efforts included works for piano, works for chorus, and works for organ as well as compositions for both rock and jazz ensembles

composer and percussionist, Michael Baird moved to England in 1964 and to Holland in 1967. Michael started playing drums in 1968 and is self-taught, except for a few private lessons with jazz-drummer Art Taylor and workshops led by Afro-Caribbean percussionist Raul Burnet

a Polish composer. In 1956, with Kazimierz Serocki he founded the Warsaw Autumn international contemporary music festival

Bairstow, Edward Cuthbert

22 Aug. 1874Huddersfield, England

1 May 1946York, England

church organist, voice trainer, choral conductor and composer of church music

Baj, Tommaso [Bai, Baij]

c. 1650

22 Dec. 1714

Italian composer and singer

Bajamonti, Julije [Giulio]

4 Aug. 1744Split, Croatia

12 Nov. 1800Split, Croatia

a Croatian by birth and a medical doctor by profession, Bajamonti wrote an article entitled Il medico e la musica ('The physician and music', 1796), the earliest essay on music therapy in which he showed that music has therapeutic strength. He composed more than two hundred works (many are only fragmentary) including sacred music to texts in Latin, Italian, and Croatian: for example, La passione de Gesu Cristo (a cantata to words written by Pietro Metastasio), Requiem (composed on the occasion of death of Rugjer Boskovic and commissioned by the Dubrovnik Senat in 1787) and spiritual songs to Croatian verses. In 1767 he composed an oratorio which constitutes the first Croatian opera. He also wrote the first Croatian oratorio, La translation di San Diomo

Bajic, Isidor

1878

1915

a student of the Pest conservatory, he proved himself a skilled organiser in the musical life of Novi Sad, where he started the 'Serbian Music Journal', produced an edition of music from the Serbian Musical Library and founded the Music School. He directed, wrote articles and textbooks. His compositions include the opera 'Prince Ivo of Semberija'

sometimes credited as: Constantine Bakaleinikoff, and very early in his career as just plain Bakaleinikoff, his nickname was Costia, or Mr. B. Constantin. He was a conductor, musical director (mostly at RKO (1939-1956)) and composer. He was nominated 4 times for the Oscar. He should not be confused with Mischa Bakaleinikof who was also very active in the Hollywood studios, but only as a musical director

Baker earned his doctoral degree from the Eastman School of Music. As a composer, he has received a number of accolades, which have included an Academy Award in Music from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, two Kennedy Center Friedheim Awards, and numerous commissions and fellowships. He won the first ever Barto Prize for his composition Flights of Passage: From Silent Sun to Starry Night. Baker has also served on the faculties of the University of Georgia and the University of Louisville, and was a Visiting Professor at the Eastman School of Music. Currently, Baker is Professor of Composition in the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, Bloomington

David Baker received his B.M.E. (1973) and M.M.E. (1954) from Indiana University (Bloomington) and has had private study with George Russell, Bernard Heiden Gunther Schuller, John Lewis, William Russo, and others. He has served as chairman of the Jazz Studies Department at Indiana University. Baker's extensive compositional output covers a wide range of genres and styles, including works for jazz, orchestra, solo voice, chorus, piano, and chamber ensemble. Several instumental combinations, i.e., "Black America," "Levels," and "Psalm 22." He has received commissions from Janos Starker, Harvey Phillips, Natalie Hinderas, and other artists. Baker is nationally recognized as a composer, lecturer - clinician, and writer of more than one hundred books and articles on jazz and other subjects in Afro - American music

Baker, George

fl 1720

English psalmodist, 'A collection of the best and most musical psalms' (1720)

Baker, Sir Henry Williams

27 May 1821London, England

12 Feb. 1877Leominster, England

an eminent English clergyman, son of Sir Henry L. Baker; educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1844. He took holy orders in 1844, and became vicar of Monkland, Herefordshire, in 1851, which benefice he held until his death. He succeeded to the baronetcy in 1851. He is best known as editor in chief of Hymns Ancient and Modern, to which he contributed several of his hymns

Baker, Kenny

1 Mar. 1921Withernsea, Yorkshire, England

7 Dec. 1999Felpham, West Sussex, England

English trumpeter and composer. who, though uncredited, composed the dance music for the very successful film The Red Shoes (1948). Baker also composed the night club music in the British film 'The Small Back Room' (1949)

Tom Baker has been active as a composer, performer and music producer in the Seattle new-music scene since 1994. Tom has appeared as guest conductor for the Seattle Creative Orchestra and has served as composer-in-residence for the a cappella vocal ensemble The Esoterics. As the artistic director and curator of the new-music concert series, the Seattle Composers' Salon, he is dedicated to producing and promoting the new and adventurous music that is being created in the Pacific Northwest. Tom is also the co-director of the Seattle EXperimental Opera (SEXO) and a co-founder of the new-music recording label Present Sounds. For the past several years, Tom has been performing on and composing for the fretless guitar; his first solo CD Sounding the Curve was released in October 2003

he was educated in Buda at the royal court of Janos Zapolya and spent some time of his life in the late 1540s in Paris. He was appointed as a court musician (lutenist) at the court of Krakow in 1549; he was famous for his virtuosity on the instrument as well as also for his compositions of which there exist several printed collections that are attributed to his name. He fled Poland in 1565 after his house in Vilnius had been plundered by soldiers

Bakhmetyev, Nikolai Ivanovich

1807Bakhmetevka, Saratov, Russia

31 Aug. 1891St. Petersburg, Russia

Russian violinist and adminstrator of church publications

Bakikhanov, Tofig

1930

Azerbaijani a composer and professor at the Baku Academy of Music. He is remembered for his short ballet, called Caspian Ballad

Norwegian composer and organist who received most of her training in the United States. Since 1973, she has worked as an organist and choir conductor in Bergen. She also teaches music theory at Bergen Teacher's Training College and Bergen Music Conservatory

one of America's most prolific composers, Baksa grew up in Tucson, Arizona and eventually earned a BA in Composition at the University of Arizona. He returned to live in New York City in the early 60s. He has written more than 500 pieces of music since his first efforts as a teenager. Since his earliest New York reviews critics have noted his melodic gifts, the structural clarity and harmonious nature of his music. His first pieces, short piano pieces written in the early 1950s which he later arranged for wind trio, are in fact still being performed around the world. His numerous choral pieces have been performed in many countries and his art songs have been featured in two recent studies on the subject of American Art Song

Catalan composer who came to New York in 1956 to study composition, has been a powerful creative force for more than three decades. His highly personal avant-garde techniques in the sixties  dramatically as well as rhythmically imposing  sets his works like Guernica and María Sabina apart from composers of the time. Later, in the seventies, he was credited as a pioneer in blending the avant-garde with folkloric ideas mixing the new with the old  now a very fashionable trend  in works like Sinfonía en Negro-Homage to Martin Luther King (1968) and Homage to Casals and Sarasate (1975). He is University Professor of Composition at the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Lithuanian composer, who studied in Vilnius from 1975 to 1961 and later at the Conservatory in Kiev (composition with Boris Ljatoschinsky and Miroslav Skorik). Until 1972 he was active as an editor for the music publisher Ukraina in Kiev but some years later he returned to Vilnius, where he was engaged as an art counsellor for the composers association. Since 1988 he is the leader of the composition class at the conservatory of Vilnius

member of the group called 'The Five', later in life had a breakdown and became a railway official; composer of brilliant piano music, 2 symphonies, the symphonic poem Tamara, songs and folksong arrangements

violinist and member of the Turtle Island String Quartet, David Balakrishnan, co-founder of the quartet, has also collaborated with such ensembles as the Modern Jazz Quartet and Manhattan Transfer. In addition, he has made a name for himself as a successful composer and arranger

Romanian violinist and composer, leader of the Balanescu Quartet. Recordings of Balanescus original work appear on his albums for MUTE (possessed, Luminitza, 'Angels and Insects) as well as his tribute to YMO East meets East (Con-Sipio), his score for the Italian war film Il Partigiano Johnny (Virgin, Italy) and collaborations with electronica artist Lume, Lume (Staubgold) as well as guesting on albums by To Rococo Rot , Spiritualized, Rabih Abou-Khalil and The Pet Shop Boys

studied composition and piano with Ashot Ghazaryan at a music school at "Mkhitar Sebastatsi" educational centres in Yerevan from 1991-98 and composition with Ashot Ghazaryan and piano with Avetik Pivazyan at the Romanos Melikyan Music College in Yerevan (1998-2000). He studied composition with Prof. Ashot Zohrabyan at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory (2000-05), and continued there for post-graduate studies (2005-2008). He is currently completing his musicology-thesis. He participated with Ashot Zohrabyan as an Armenian delegate to the European Composers Congress in Vienna (2006) and he has been a member of the Armenian Composers Union since 2006.
He has been awarded:

2nd Prize at 'The 90th Anniversary of Benjamin Britten Competition' for chamber works (2003, Yerevan, Armenia) for his 'Composition' for woodwind quintet;

'Naregatsi Young Composers Award' (2006, Yerevan, Armenia) for 'Postlude in memoriam...' for violin and piano;

3nd Prize at 'The 6th Sichuan Conservatory of Music Students Composition Competition (2010, Chengdu, China) for 'Flower Garden In The Dark' for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano.

Since 2009 David Balasanyan has been working as an assistant at the chair of composition of Yerevan State Conservatory after Komitas.
His composition "The Pillow Tagh", composed in 2013, was a commission from the Ensemble "Oktoplus" (NDR Radiophilharmonie).
He also writes poems, many of which appear in his book 'Arahetner' ('Paths') (Pub. 'Mitk'; Yerevan; 2001).
His works have been performed in Armenia, Georgia, Brazil, Italy, Lebanon, USA, Germany, Greece and some of them are published in Swiss Musical Publishing House 'Sordino' .
[e-mail: davbal@yandex.ru]

Balassa, Sándor

20 Jan. 1935Budapest, Hungary

composer of Iris for orchestra, a trio for violin, viola and harp and Requiem for Lajos Kassák

French organist and composer. Balbastre taught the harpsichord to Marie-Antoinette and the Duke of Chartres. He was organist at the Chapelle Royale where he performed his own works at Christmas, as did his colleagues, Louis Claude Daquin and Jean-François Dandrieu. It is reported that the improvisations by Balbastre at Christmas attracted so many people, it was feared disorder would be caused in the church, to the point where he was twice refused access to the organ loft at Notre-Dame Cathedral during midnight mass, by order of the Archbishop of Paris

it is practically accepted that he is the "monk of St. Gall" (monachus Sangallensis), author of the legends and anecdotes Gesta Caroli Magni. The number of works ascribed to him is constantly increasing. He introduced the sequence, a new species of religious lyric, into Germany. It had been the custom to prolong the Alleluia in the Mass before the Gospel, modulating through a skillfully harmonized series of tones. Notker learned how to fit the separate syllables of a Latin text to the tones of this jubilation; this poem was called the sequence, formerly called the 'jubilation'. (The reason for this name is uncertain.) Between 881-887 Notker dedicated a collection of such verses to Bishop Liutward of Vercelli, but it is not known which or how many are his. Ekkehard IV, the historiographer of St. Gall, speaks of fifty sequences attributable to Notker. The hymn, Media Vita, was erroneously attributed to him late in the Middle Ages. Ekkehard IV lauds him as "delicate of body but not of mind, stuttering of tongue but not of intellect, pushing boldly forward in things Divine, a vessel of the Holy Spirit without equal in his time".
[taken from Catholic Encycolpedia]

his early years were spent as a choirboy at Southwark Cathedral, London. At the age of 17, he was awarded the Associateship Diploma of the Royal College of Organists, winning the prize for harmony and counterpoint, and earned the Fellowship a year later. He studied at the Universities of Oxford and Durham, and afterwards embarked upon a career in teaching, organ-playing and choir-training. Baldwin has made regular visits to the United States as a recitalist and formed his own chamber choir in California. He is currently Organist at the American Church in London. As a composer, Baldwin has written anthems, carols, carol arrangements and organ music. He won the Royal School of Church Musics Harold Smart Competition in 1996 and 1998

in 1919, Eric Ball took a job in The Salvation Army Musical Instrument Department at Judd Street in central London. He soon progressed to The Musical Editorial Department where he would spend twenty eight years, and where he worked alongside such well known Salvation Army composers as Philip Catelinet, Bramwell Coles, Albert Jakeway and George Marshall, as well as Henry Hall, later to become famous as a band leader. He was a bandmaster of the International Staff Band of The Salvation Army and a prominent figure in the brass band world. A prolific composer and arranger, many of his works remain in the repertoire

while attending the Royal College of Music, he studied with Herbert Howells, Humphrey Searle and John Lambert. In 1970 he was one of four students selected to take part in master classes with Nadia Boulanger on her visit to the RCM and in the same year was awarded all the major composition prizes of the College, including the Octavia Travelling Scholarship, which he used to study with Franco Donatoni in Italy during the summers of 1972 and 1973. Whilst he was there, he participated in master classes with Luciano Berio and György Ligeti. He has written works for orchestra, windband and brassband as well as an opera The Belly Bag for younger musicians

French composer and lutenist, probable pupil of Adrian le Roy and son of Robert Ballard (c.1525-1588), was a lutenist at the royal court from 1612 until his death, taking part in performances of ballets de cour. He published two volumes of airs and dances for the lute. Robert snr. in partnership with Adrian le Roy who was his brother-in-law, was granted a privilege (license) for printing music from the French king Henri II on July 14, 1551. In 1553, Le Roy and Ballard received the title of music printer to the king, which was re-affirmed in 1568 under Charles IX. A combination of important court connections, shrewd choice of repertoire, technical expertise, and high artistic quality (some it due to their using movable type, cut in 1540 by Robert's father-in-law, Guillaume Le Bé (or du Gué)), gave Le Roy and Ballard a near-monopoly on music printing in France through the end of the 16th century. Under Henry IV in 1594, a few years after Robert's death, the same title was granted to the partnership of Le Roy and Lucrèce Ballard, Robert's widow. Members of the Ballard family were to bear the title of music printers to the king well into the 18th century. They held a virtual monopoly on music printing in France for two centuries, and continued in business into the second decade of the 19th century, when the final owner was the great-great-great-great grandson of Robert. Throughout this period the Ballard family exploited the role of family relationships in the French social system by establishing family ties to leading printers and publishers such as Boivin, Montéclair and Dumesnil

Ballarotti, Francesco

c. 1660

Apr. 1712Bergamo, Italy

Italian composer

Ballesteros, Antonio

published his Obra Para Guitarra de Seis Ordenes, a method book for the 6 string guitar, in 1780

Claude Ballif first studied music in Bordeaux, before entering the Paris Conservatory in 1948 to study composition with Tony Aubin, counterpoint and fugue with Noël Gallon and analysis in the class of Olivier Messiaen. From 1954 he followed the classes of Boris Blacher (composition) and Joseph Rufer (analysis) at the Berlin Conservatory. The following year he won First Prize for music composition in the Geneva International Competition for his orchestral work Lovecraft and his First String Quartet. From 1956 to 1959 he taught at the summer school in Darmstadt, alongside Luigi Nono, Luciano Berio and Karlheinz Stockhausen. Works include Journey of my ear for orchestra and various chamber works

Erno Balogh, pianist, composer, editor and teacher. From an early age, he performed and composed music at the piano. Punishment for him was being denied access to the piano. His first compositions, two short piano pieces dedicated to his father, were written at the age of eight. For twelve years, 1905 to 1917, he attended the Budapest Conservatory, completing the Professor's Certificate and receiving the Franz Liszt Prize in piano and composition. During this period, he studied piano with Bela Bartok and composition with Zoltan Kodaly. Balogh became a close friend of both men and he was instrumental in bringing Bartok to the U.S. for his first concert tour in 1927

studied music with J. Poch, C. Guinovart, A. Argudo and J. Soler. and mathematics at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. He has received commissions from Radio Baden-Baden Orchestra, Valles Symphonic Orchestra, Catalonian Composers'Association, Spanish Ministry of Culture, National Radio of Spain and the Councils of Barcelona and Sabadell, among others

German violinist and composer, he came from a family of Lübeck musicians: his father, David (d 1647), his grandfather, Hinrik Thomas, his great-grandfather, Hinrik, and his brothers Joachim and David were all musicians there. According to the English scientist Samuel Hartlib, Baltzar studied with Johann Schop, and he is recorded at the Swedish court in 1653. He probably returned home in summer 1654, after Queen Christina's abdication, and was briefly appointed a Lübeck Ratslutenist at the beginning of 1655. He travelled to England later in the year, where he remained until his death. Baltzar caused a sensation in England. John Evelyn heard him at Roger L'Estrange's London house on 4 March 1656, and wrote that he plaid on that single Instrument a full Consort, so as the rest, flung-downe their Instruments, as acknowledging a victory. Baltzar was in London in September 1656 to play in Davenant's The Siege of Rhodes, though Anthony Wood wrote that he spent about two years with Sir Anthony Cope at Hanwell House near Banbury. Presumably he was living there when he made his famous visits to William Ellis's Oxford music meetings in summer 1658. Wood compared him several times with the English violinist Davis Mell, who play'd farr sweeter than Baltsar, yet Baltsar's hand was more quick and could run it insensibly to the end of the finger-board. Mell was also in Oxford in 1658, and their divisions on John, come kiss me now, printed in Playford's The Division Violin (1684/R), probably record some sort of playing contest. They show that Mell was no match for Baltzar, as a composer as well as a player

Balys, Eduardas

20 Dec. 1919

Lithuanian composer

Balzano, Domenico

fl. 1680

Maltese composer, brother of Giuseppe, known for his motet "Venite Omnes" (1680) scored for 2 canti and continuo

Balzano, Giuseppe

fl. 1652

Maltese composer, brother of Dominico, known for his motet "Beatus Vir" (1652) scored for two tenors, a baritone and continuo

has lived in Germany since 1974. He studied composition with Guenther Becker and Dimitri Terzakis at the Robert Schumann Academy of Music in Duesseldorf. Computer music seminars with Clarence Barlow at the Music Academy in Cologne. Postgraduate studies with Hans Zender (composition) and Hans-Dieter Resch (conducting) at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt. His instrumental and electronic pieces have been featured in concerts and radio programs throughout Europe (BBC London, SFB Berlin, HR Frankfurt, WDR Cologne, NDR Hamburg, VPRO Radio Holland, VRT Radio Belgium, Polskie Radio and Swedish National Radio), the Americas, Asia and Australia. He has developed an algorithmic composition software (AFSTS 1) for the Atari ST computers from 1991-1993. From 1994-1997 he was chairman of the music department in the guild of artist "Kuenstlergilde NRW". Banasik was the artistic director of the ensemble "go ahead" and organizer of multimedia events with new music, literature and fine arts as well as concerts of electroacoustic music. He has received national and international music awards and scholarships. Beside live electronics and computer music Banasik has produced works for tape, radio plays and film soundtracks

a man of considerable versatility, a composer, dramatist, organist and theorist, he spent almost his whole life at the monastery of San Michele in Bosco, near Bologna, becoming abbot in 1620. He founded the Accademia dei Floridi in Bologna

the most influential Brazilian artist on the instrument that became part of his name, Jacob elevated the mandolin (bandolim, in Portuguese) to a place of honour
[to hear extracts of his music click here]

English composer Gilbert Banester was possibly born in London in 1445. He was Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal from 1478. He contributed a carol in florid style to the Fayrfax Manuscript, and wrote and produced pageants at Henry VII's court; his latin motets include one probably for Henry's wedding. He is represented in the Eton Choirbook.

he earned a Bachelor of Music from the New England Conservatory of Music in 1983, a Master of Theological Studies from Boston University in 1987, and Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Michigan in 1992. His diverse blend of musical influences were shaped by his teachers and mentors including T.J. Anderson, George Russell, Leslie Bassett, William Bolcolm, and William Albright. In 2000, he was a W.E.B. Dubois fellow at Harvard University where he worked on two operas, including Gertrude Stein Invents A Jump Early On. He has composed eight symphonies, six symphonic concertos, four operas, music for ballet, musicals, chorus, chamber ensembles, jazz ensembles, and song cycles for voice and keyboard

French electronic musician best known as a member of the French house music duo Daft Punk. He has also produced music for the band Stardust, as a member of the band Together, and for the film Irréversible. His music is sometimes known as French house

Banister, Charles W.

fl 1792

English psalmodist, 'Twelve psalm and hymn tunes' (1792)

Banister, Henry Charles

13 Jun. 1831

20 Nov. 1897

English composer and teacher

Banister, John

c. 1625London, England

3 Oct. 1679London, England

flageolet player, violinist, leader of Charles II band (based on the string band of the French court); composer and pioneering organiser of concerts to which the public paid an entry fee

born the son of eminent London gynaecologist, who forbade him to take up music professionally. Joined civil service and when failed to be tempted by the money on offer was reluctantly allowed to study at the RAM. While a student there his bottled-up musical ambition was released into 14 symphonic poems on Indian themes. Founded the New Quarterly Musical Review and took up conducting, transforming the New Brighton Orchestra from a shambolic mob to a competent orchestra. Introduced all-British programmes of music, an innovation at the time (1898). Championed British music al his life, along with other 'modern' composers such as Sibelius (who dedicated his 3rd Symphony to him), Strauss, Debussy etc. Succeeded Elgar as professor of music at Birmingham University. A great fan of the east, many of his works have an oriental theme - a famous photograph of him shows him dressed as a mullah, reading the Rubayat - which he eventually set to music. Later on he became interested in British folk culture too, especially Celtic

graduate of Occidental College with a Bachelor's Degree in Latin American Studies, Mr. Barabba subsequently attended the University of Chicago where he pursued his interest in music. He received a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Composition and Music Technology from the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, University of California at Irvine in 2004. He is currently attending the University of California at Los Angeles, where is pursuing a Ph.D. in Composition. In his formative years, Mr. Barabba received extensive instrumental training in piano and trombone

much of the career of Croatian composer/conductor Kreimir Baranovic was spent with Zagreb Opera. He conducted there for almost 30 years between 1915 and 1943, and also directed the opera between 1929 and 1940. His opus contains two comic operas, 'Shorn-mown' and 'The Bride from Centigrad'. The first was premiered in Zagreb in 1932 and the second first saw the stage in Belgrade in 1951

best known through his compositions for solo winds and orchestra, Joseph Edouard Barat studied music in Paris with Paul Vidal and Emile Pessard. His affinity for wind music was partially influenced through his work as a bandmaster with the French Army. His Andante et Allegro for trombone and piano (orchestra) was composed for the annual trombone competition at the National Conservatory in Paris in 1935, and dedicated to Professor Henri Couillaud

her career as a composer, performer and sound artist has been devoted to exploring the human voice as a multi-faceted instrument, going far beyond its traditional boundaries, creating works for voices, instruments and interactive technology. "One of the great vocal virtuosas of our time" (San Francisco Examiner) and an important pioneer in the field of contemporary classical music and soundart, she developed a unique vocabulary of experimental and extended vocal techniques, including multiphonics (the simultaneous sounding of two or more pitches), circular singing, ululation and glottal clicks that have become her "signature" sounds

Barbarino, Bartolomeo (Il Pesarino)

c. 1568

1617

Italian composer. Maestro di cappella at the cathedrals of Pesaro and (from 1605) Parma, he published some church music but is mainly important as one of the earliest and most prolific monodists, a follower of Caccini in his style of vocal composition, which is often dramatic, with extravagant word painting; in general, however, his best music is in a more melancholy and expressive vein

Emanuele Barbella, originally trained by his father Francesco. After the premature death of his father in 1733, Barbella continued to study the violin with Angelo Zago and Pasqualino Bini (a student of Tartini), also studying composition with Michele Caballone, Leonardo Leo, and, probably, with Father Martini in Bologna. In 1753 he became first violin of Teatro Nuovo in Naples, and three years later he entered into the service of the Neapolitan Royal Chapel; starting in 1761, he played in the orchestra of Teatro S. Carlo, also teaching at the Conservatoire of S. Onofrio. Charles Burney, who got to know Barbella during his stay in Naples in October 1770, spoke of him as the kindest human being that Ive ever known, blessed with a character which was as sweet as the sound of his violin

Barbella, Francesco

1692Italy

1733Italy

composer and Master of String Instruments at the Conservatoire of S. Maria di Loreto, father of Emanuele Barbella

a composer based in South Wales who is also the artistic director of Sound Affairs

Barber, John

fl 1723

psalmodist of Castleton, Derbys. who published 'A book of psalmody' (1723) with Robert Barker

Barber, Robert

fl 1723-53

psalmodist based in Castleton, Derbys, who published 'The psalm singer's choice companion' (1723), 'A book of psalmody 2nd edn' (1733) and 'David's harp well tuned' (3rd edn of A book of psalmody) (1753)

he was central to the group of composers, including Oudrid, Gaztambide and Arrieta working from 1851 at the Teatro del Circo, directing the chorus as well as providing many original stage works. 1856 saw the founding of the Teatro de la Zarzuela, and from the 1860s Barbieri broadened his activities even further, founding the Society for Orchestral Music (1866) and introducing much of the German symphonic repertoire to Madrid, as well as publishing a wide variety of books on music, politics and much besides

Gato Barbieri is the second Argentinean musician to make a significant impact upon jazz - the first being Lalo Schifrin, in whose band Barbieri played as a teenager. His story has been that of an elongated zigzag odyssey between his homeland and North America. He started out playing to traditional Latin rhythms in his early years, turning his back on his heritage to explore the jazz avant-garde in the 1960s, reverting to South American influences in the early 1970s, playing pop and fusion in the late 1970s, only to go back and forth again in the 1980s

Barbieri, Girolamo

1808Piacenza, Italy

1871Piacenza, Italy

he began his career as maestro di cappella at Caravaggio, subsequently took up the same position in Cremona and finally returned to his home town in 1847. Most of his energies were devoted to the composition of sacred music and piano pieces. He also held a post as organist and took an interest in organ building: he reviewed the inaugurations of new Lingiardi and Serassi organs for the Gazzetta musicale di Milano. His organ works, published by F. Lucca and Ricordi, amount to some 800 pieces

a Renaissance composer from the southern Netherlands. He was considered to be a superlative composer both by his contemporaries and by modern scholars, however his surviving output is small, and he died young

English composer who studied at the University of Huddersfield with Richard Steinitz, where he was awarded the J Wood and Sons Prize for composition. His music has been played throughout Europe, Australia and the USA. He is currently working as a freelance composer and music copyist, alongside studying at the Birmingham Conservatoire with Edwin Roxburgh, and he has just been awarded a fellowship to attend Ostrava Days 2005

choir director, teacher and musicologist, he was professor at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, composer and founder of a school of music theory in Hungary. In 1934, he organized with György Kertész the movement 'Singing Youth'. They also founded a periodical and a publishing house both named Magyar Kórus (Hungarian Chorus). Bárdos did his utmost to put into practice Zoltan Kodály's idea of 'singing Hungary'

Woldemar Bargiel was the son of Marianne Tromlitz, first wife of Friedrich Wieck and mother of Clara Schumann and was taught by Moscheles and Niels W. Gade in Leipzig, before returning to his native Berlin, where he was later appointed professor of composition at the invitation of Joachim. His music is influenced by Schumann, who regarded him as one of the leading composers of the younger generation

studied law at the Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin (1954-57). In 1958 he began studying composition at the State College of Music in Warsaw under Tadeusz Szeligowski. After his teacher's death he continued his studies under Boleslaw Szabelski at the State College of Music in Katowice, where he gearned a degree in composition in 1964. He continueded his studies under Nadia Boulanger in Paris (1966-67) on a French government scholarship, and also at the Hochschule fur Musik in Granz (1972). Since 1976 he has been living in Austria, where he is engaged in teaching

his music exhibits his interest in scientific data, especially the dimension of fractals, from which to derive formal ideas

Barié, Augustin

1883

1915

Augustin Barié was blind from his birth. He studied organ with Guilmant and Widor. Later he was appointed organist of the Eglise Saint-Germaine-des-Prés in Paris. He composed a few works and died at the early age of 32 years during the First World War

clergyman and composer of popular hymns including Onward, Christian Soldiers and Now the Day Is Over. He regarded as his principal achievement the collection of folk songs that he made with the help of the ordinary people of Devon and Cornwall. His first book of songs, Songs and Ballads of the West (188991), was the first collection published for the mass market. The musical editor for this collection was Henry Fleetwood Sheppard, though some of the songs included were noted by Baring-Gould's other collaborator Frederick Bussell. Baring-Gould and Sheppard produced a second collection called A Garland of Country Songs in 1895. A new edition of Songs of the West was proposed for publication in 1905. Sheppard had died in 1901 and so the collector Cecil Sharp was invited to undetake the musical editorship for the new edition. Sharp and Baring-Gould also collaborated on English Folk Songs for Schools in 1907. This collection of 53 songs was widely used in British schools for the next 60 years

Bariolla, Ottavio [Bariola, Barioli, Bariolus]

fl. 1573-1619

Italian organist and composer

Bariona, Madelka S.

fl. 16th centuryGermany

a composer whose work was published in 1586 and is now in the Royal Library, Munich

one of the most prolific Lithuanian contemporary composers and has written over 100 pieces of music. He is a graduate in mathematics (1953) and music composition (1959). He is professor in the Department of Composition of the Lithuanian Academy of Music

English composer who now lives in Mexico. He has composed music for orchestra, soloists, chamber music, choral music, for contemporary dance, and principally for opera and theatre. He has received several awards and scholarships including Royal Philharmonic Society Prize, Countess of Munster Trust Scholarship, Ralph Vaughan Williams Trust Scholarship, Arts and Humanities Research Award and a Djerassi Artistic Residency in California, USA

alternatively Clarens Baarlo, Klarens Baarlo, Klarenz Barlow, born in India into a family of European descent and culture. Composer mostly of orchestral, chamber, piano, and electroacoustic works. He has lived in Cologne since 1968 and in Amsterdam since 1990

bandleader who used the pseudonym Dale Bennet on his songs to avoid the financial demands of his numerous ex-wives. The Barnet big band of 1939 to 1941 was his best known outfit, recording hits such as Cherokee and a spin off of the song called Redskin Rhumba, the latter used as the band's identifying song

Barnett, Carol

1949

composer and flutist, she received a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota, where she studied with Dominick Argento, Paul Fetter and Bernhard Weiser. She served as composer-in-residence with the Dale Warland Singers from 1992 to 2001, and her works have been performed by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Womens Philharmonic of San Francisco, Westminster Abbey Choir, and the Ankor Children's Choir of Jerusalem. She is currently a studio artist and adjunct lecturer at Augsburg College in Minnesota. Barnett has composed many choral works, as well as works for orchestra and chamber ensemble

Barnett, James G.

1885USA

a composer, conductor, and organist in Connecticut during the latter half of the nineteenth century. Most of his compositions are sacred vocal works

father was born Bernhard Beer in Prussia. He moved to England to work as a jeweller and changed his surname to Barnett. The son was a boy vocalist who later became a singing teacher and composer of stage music, especially the work The Mountain Sylph (first performed at the Lyceum on 25 Aug. 1834) regarded as being the first modern English opera

a pianist who studied with the son of Mozart, she composed many fine songs. Schumann dedicated Humoreske to her

Barra, Jehan de (Barrat, Hotinet; Jean)

fl. early 16th century

French composer

Barraine, Elsa

13 Feb. 1910Paris, France

20 Mar. 1999Strasbourg, France

French pianist and composer, she studied composition at the Paris Conservatoire with Paul Dukas. She received premiers prix in harmony in 1925 and in fugue and accompaniment in 1927. In 1929 she received the Prix de Rome for her cantata La vierge guerrière. She worked in French Radio as a pianist, sound recordist and vocal director (1936-40) then as a sound mixer after the war. From 1944 to 1947 she was musical director of the recording firm Chant du Monde. Later Barraine became professor of sight-reading and analysis at the Conservatoire, 1953-1974. Much of her output is for voice, in addition to works for orchestra, chamber ensemble, and dramatic works. Her Wind Quintet from 1931 is published in the famous wind quintet anthology compiled by Albert Andraud. Her solo organ works include: Sole organ works comprise: 1re Prélude et fugue (1928, publ. Durand); 2me Prélude et fugue (1930); Reflets magyars (unpublished, 1961); Musique rituelle for organ, tam-tam, xylophone (1968)[supplementary information provided by Terry L. Mueller]

Barraqué, Jean

17 Jan. 1928Puteaux, France

17 Aug. 1973

born into a middle class family, Jean Barraqué had no intention - despite early piano and violin lessons - of becoming a composer until he was confronted with the "emotional shock" of hearing a gramophone recording of Schubert's Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished" at the age of 12. Schubert and Beethoven became inspirational guiding lights through his years as fledgling composer. Then, in 1948, Barraqué joined Messiaen's celebrated Paris Conservatoire class for analysis and rhythm, where he discovered simultaneously the work of Debussy (about whom he would write at length) and - newly imported into France - the music of Webern. From 1951 to 1954, Barraqué was a member of the ORTF Groupe de Musique Concrète and briefly made use in his music of electronic resources

Barraud, Henry

23 Apr. 1900Bordeaux, France

28 Dec. 1997

worked under Dukas and Aubert and has written orchestral and chamber works

an important French composer and flautist. A highly renowned performer, La Barre played in the Académie Royale de Musique, the Musettes et Hautbois de Poitou and court chamber music. Barres suites for two unaccompanied flutes (the first of their kind in France) and flute solos and trio sonatas established a French flute style and contributed to the instrument's popularity. La Barre also wrote songs and two opéra-ballets. Rameau's La Vénitienne, in which rondeau form is used for the first time, was certainly inspired by Michel de la Barres opera-ballet of the same name written in 1705

Barré, Leonardo [Barrae, Barret]

fl. 1537-after 1555

Netherlands composer and singer resident in Italy

Barrense Dias, Jose

1932Campo Alegre, Bahia, Brazil

1969Switzerland

Brazilian guitarist, composer and arranger

Barrera Gómez, Enrique

26 Apr. 1844Valladolid

3 Jul. 1922Valladolid

Spanish composer

Barrett, John

1674

between 1719 and 1735

English composer and organist, a pupil of John Blow, who contributed songs to Mercurius Musicus. In 1700 he collaborated with Blow, Jeremiah Clarke, Francis Piggott, and Croft in a Choice Collection of Ayres for the Harpsichord or Spinnet. He was for some time music master of Christ's Hospital, and later organist of Christ Church, Newgate Street (London) and St. Mary-at-Hill, Billingsgate (London)

her compositional output consists of works for instruments and live electronics, sound installations, dance, theatre, and animation projects, but all activity is rooted in her work with acousmatic tape composition, which features most strongly amongst her creations

popular composer of Edwardian drawing-room songs. Barri himself claimed to have been born in Como. Supposedly he was trained by the Jesuits, became an oratorio singer in Italy and Spain, and was for a time a tenor soloist at the Vatican. He is said to have fought at the battle of Solferino in 1859 before settling in London, where he headed the Odoardo Barri School of Voice Culture for over fifty years. Of his religious, theatre and drawing-room music, little is now heard beyond the stirring setting of The Old Brigade

the son of a flamenco guitarist, Barrios studied in Paris. In 1900 Barrios founded the Trio Iberia for which he made many arrangements. The Trio enjoyed a very favorable reputation all over Europe. Barrios was quite a productive composer. Barrios's works include operas, zarzuelas, a number of orchestral scores and solo works for piano and guitar. They are all written in a style influenced by the Romantic era, and relied heavily on a populist Spanish folk influence

while a teenager, Barron started playing professionally with Mel Melvin's orchestra. This local band also featured Barron's brother Bill, the late tenor saxophonist. At age 19, Kenny moved to New York City and was hired by James Moody after the tenor saxophonist heard him play at the Five Spot. He then joined Dizzy Gillespie's band in 1962, where he developed an appreciation for Latin and Caribbean rhythms. After five years with Dizzy, Barron played with Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, Milt Jackson, and Buddy Rich. In 1971 he joined Yusef Lateef's band. It is Lateef who Kenny credits as a key influence in his art for improvisation. Kenny was professor of music at Rutgers University (1973-200)

composer and synthesist who, after studies 1950-66 in Havana and 1966-8 in Prague, began a career in teaching, composing, and performing, with a particular emphasis on electroacoustic music. He now lives in Canada

studied composition with Stockhausen and Kagel. He first came to public attention in 1979 with his radical ensemble works '__________' and 'Ø'. Lecturer UCC 19826. Has written orchestral, chamber, instrumental, vocal and choral works, which include 2 operas, The Intelligence Park (19829), commissioned by the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, and The Triumph of Beauty and Deceit (19912), commissioned by Channel 4 TV, London; Chevaux de frise for orchestra (1986), Hard D for chamber ensemble (1992) and The Conquest of Ireland for bass and orchestra (1995), all commissioned by the BBC; piano works, Swinging Tripes and Trillibubkins (1986) and Triorchic Blues (1990), the latter commissioned by the GPA Dublin International Piano Competition; Flamboys (1991) for orchestra, commissioned by TCD; and Piano Quartet (1992)

composer noted most for his film scores, amongst which are the 'James Bond' movies (including the theme song for 'Goldfinger'), the expansive scores for Born Free (1966) and Dances with Wolves (1990) depicting majestic savannahs or prairies respectively, the more claustrophobic themes for Midnight Cowboy (1969) and The Ipcress File, the big love themes for Out of Africa (1985) and Somewhere in Time, the jazz influenced Body Heat (1981) and of course The Cotton Club named after that hotbed of early jazz development, and the historical dramas The Lion in Winter (1968), Robin and Marian (1976) and Mary Queen of Scots. With such an illustrious career it is a little jarring to note that he also did Howard the Duck!

Barrymore won the Academy Award for his role in the early talkie A Free Soul (1931); but he is probably best remembered for playing Dr. Gillespie in the Doctor Kildare series of films, for his role playing the mean Mr. Potter in It's A Wonderful Life (1946), and for his sympathetic role in Key Largo (1948), with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Becall. Lionel was also a composer of classical music

Barsanti, Francesco

c. 1690Lucca, Italy

late 1772London, UK

performer on the oboe and the flute, Francesco Barsanti, who lived in Edinburgh from 1735 to 1743 is best-known to recorder/flute players for his sonatas. However, he adapted many Scottish slow airs in various arrangements for vocal and instrumental performance

Barsotti, Roger

1901London

of Italian extraction, Barsotti was brought up musically in military bands and eventually became Director of Music of the Metropolitan Police Band between 1946 and 1968. He was a prolific composer for brass band and to a lessor extent for orchestra. His compositions included many marches, waltzes, polkas, dances in Latin American rhythm, instrumental solos, popular pot-pourris and the attractive suites Three Women, Carnaval du Bal and the Neapolitan Suite

Bart, Lionel

1 Aug. 1930London, England

3 Apr. 1999London, England

English composer and lyricist, composed music for Oliver (1963) and wrote theme song for the James Bond movie, From Russia With Love

born into a musical family Cecilia made her debut in London in 1779, performing a vocal duet with her mother Mary. Joseph Haydn was a family friend and listed Cecilia as one of the London musical personalities in his 1792 London Notebook. She in turn dedicated her keyboard Sonata op. 3 to him and was a subscriber to his Creation

Barthélemon, François-Hippolyte

27 Jul. 1741Bordeaux, France

20 Jul. 1808London, England

violinist; wrote operas, stage music and violin pieces as well as the tune to Ken's Morning Hymn

Barthélemon, Mary Polly (nee Young)

1749

1799London

composer who began her public life as a singer-actor in opera and other music theatre

American composer who has participated in composition workshops, seminars and symposia with Krzysztof Penderecki, George Crumb, Bob Chilcott, Steven Sametz, Robert Kyr, R. Murray Schafer, Tan Dun, Gregg Smith, Hummie Mann and Brent Michael Davids. Bartholomew received ASCAP Awards in 2003 and 2004 for the recent performances of his music

Bartholomew, Marshall

1885USA

1978USA

composer and interpreter of American folk music, he was director of the Yale Glee Club and of undergraduate musical activities at Yale from 1921 to 1953. He founded the International Student Musical Council in 1931 to promote international good will through singing, and he served in various relief capacities during both World Wars. All of his life he was especially active as a composer and arranger of songs for singing groups. His final major project was research into the history of music at Yale in preparation for a book on the subject, which was not completed

collector of Hungarian, Slovak and Rumanian folk songs and later of Arabic music; his early works betray the strong influence of late Romantic composers such as Brahms, Lizst and Wagner, although his later style as expressed, for example, in his 6 string quartets, marks him out as one of the most original voices of the early 20th century

composer and one of the most significant Baroque guitar virtuosos of his time. He published two books of tablature for the guitar. The first, published in Florence in 1640, begins with twenty-two passacaglie in as many keys, which are followed by six suites each made up of allemanda, two correnti and sarabanda. The volume closes with a follia set. The second book, which appeared in Rome in the 1650s, contains approximately twenty-five suites, the dance titles in French with but few exceptions. Bartolotti moved to France in 1656, and from that point he seems to have been known as a theorbist; in 1669 he published a book on basso continuo for the theorbo, at which point he disappears from history

Bartolotti, Signora

fl. 18th centuryItaly

composer of the ballet music to the opera Dario in 1764

Bartolozzi, Bruno

8 Jun. 1911Florence, Italy

12 Dec. 1980Fiesole, Italy

violinist and composer particularly of music for wind-instruments using new techniques. He wrote an influential book on new woodwind techniques. It was translated and edited by Reginald Smith Brindle and published in English as New Sounds for Woodwinds

Bartos, Frantisek

13 Jun. 1905Brnenec

21 May 1973Prague, Czech Republic

Czech composer and writer

Bartos, Jan Zdenek

4 Jun. 1908Dvur Kralove nad Labem, Czechoslovakia

21 May 1973Prague, Czech Republic

violinist; also original composer of concertos, including one for accordion and From Petrarch's Sonnets for Laura for tenor, bass, violin, cello and harpsichord

Russian composer, pianist, musicologist and teacher, who studied in Lviv and then in Prague. He was the director of the Lysenko Music Institute from 1915, and exerted a strong influence on Ukrainian art music. Deeply admired for his teaching, Barvinsky later showed great heroism during his years in a Soviet concentration camp

"It just was not my thing," said Bashmakov tersely, describing his encounter with row technique. His dodecaphonic period was brief; its main work being the First Symphony (1963). Bashmakov's stylistic roots are in the Neo-Classicism of the 1950s, which his dodecaphonic transition period distilled and concentrated into his later highly expressive free-tonal style. Bashmakov writes absolute music  symphonies, concertos and chamber music  although he has also written a number of extensive vocal works, most significantly the Requiem (1988) for soloists, choir and orchestra, which despite its title, it is a setting not of the traditional liturgical text but of the eponymous poem by Lassi Nummi

American Jazz band leader and pianist, composer of One O'Clock Jump and Jumpin' at the Woodside. The story goes that an emcee or radio announcer dubbed him 'Count', figuring there was already a 'King' (of swing, Benny Goodman), a 'Duke' (Ellington) and an 'Earl' (Hines)

Franco-Flemish composer, singer, and diplomat of the Burgundian school of the early Renaissance. He was listed along with Antoine Busnois and Hayne van Ghizeghem as one of the personal singers to Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy

an Italian Venetian School composer and cornettist of the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras. He was a key figure in the development of the instrumental ensemble at St. Mark's basilica, and left a detailed book on instrumental ornamentation, which is a rich resource for research in contemporary performance practice. It is not known if he was related to Anthony Bassano a member of a well-known Venetian family of musicians

after spending 38 months in army bands during World War II as trombonist, arranger and composer. he enrolled at California State University, Fresno. Graduate study at the University of Michigan under Ross Lee Finney was interrupted by a Fulbright Fellowship to Paris and work with Arthur Honegger and Nadia Boulanger. He joined the Michigan faculty in 1952, then held the Prix de Rome at the American Academy in Rome, 1961-63. He has also worked with the Spanish-British composer Roberto Gerhard and with Mario Davidovsky in electronic music. At Michigan he became chairman of composition, the Albert A. Stanley Distinguished University Professor of Music, and the 1984 Henry Russel Lecturer. He has composed electronic music and written for plays, film, and all performing ensembles with the exception of opera. He frequently serves as guest composer with performing ensembles and universities

Israeli poet, musician and composer. Bat Chaim, whose family has been living in Israel for six generations now, became widely known for more than 400 compositions. Two CDs of her music won the prestigious Echo Classical Award: Silence and Beyond (1997) and Love (2003), and her contributions to the sound tracks of Jenseits der Stille (Beyond Silence) and Comedian Harmonists further added to her popularity. Her music can be described as contemporary classical with strong roots in Jewish mysticism and the philosophy of Yoga

pianist, vaudeville accompanist and composer of many popular hits including Hard Hearted Hannah (The Vamp of Savannah G-A) written together with Tin Pan Alley men Milton Ager, Jack Yellen and Robert Wilcox Bigelow

composer of stage, film and light music, including a symphony for brass band entitled Freedom and the piano concerto, Cornish Rhapsody, played on screen by Stewart Granger in the film Love Story (1944) but performed on the soundtrack by Harriet Cohen

French cellist and composer. His compositions consist of Etudes, which are fully adapted to the object in view and of which several books have been published; Caprices, Duets, Trios (for three Violoncellos), and light pieces of various kinds. His Op. 4, which contains twenty-four Studies, has been introduced into the Paris Conservatoire

his father, a singing master, gave him first instruction in music and he studied the violin. When his father was appointed professeur de solfege at the Brussels Conservatoire, the family Batta moved to Brussels. There the talented boy heard the cello master, Platel, play, and he succeeded in inducing his father to let him share Platel's instruction at the Conservatoire. In 1885 he moved to Paris. At this time the tenor, Rubini, was flourishing in Paris. All vied in doing him homage, and Batta became such an unbounded admirer of him, that he copied his manner of rendering. It is known that instrumentalists can learn a great deal from good singers. Rubini, however, with all the advantages of his manner of singing, had the failing of making excessive contrasts of forte and piano without the use of intermediate gradations, in order to produce startling effects upon the public. Batta, appropriated this merely for the sake of attaining an easy effect, and therefore became for a time the recognized darling of the Parisian public, and especially of the ladies, whom he knew how to captivate by his sweetly coquettish style of playing. He naturally possessed also valuable artistic qualities, but an apparently virtuoso tendency ever after clung to him. Batta, published a respectable list of Drawing-room pieces and transcriptions, as well as a Concerto and a couple of Concert Etudes> for his instrument. These productions were for a time made use of by violoncellists: now they have ceased to excite any interest

after studying Engineering and Administration at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, John moved on to Civil Engineering at Cornell University. He received his Bachelor of Music from the New England Conservatory of Music in 1952. Additional studies at Harvard University Graduate School included Composition with Walter Piston; the History of Choral Literature with Archibald P. Davidson; and Renaissance Choral Practice with musicologist Otto Gombosi

born in Streatham, London and studied RAM (1900-5). For full biographical details see his book 'Farewell, my Youth' one of the best books ever written by a composer. A gifted pianist, his orchestration can seem dense (like Nielsen's) and only his tone poems (esp. Tintagel and The Garden of Fand) have found a place in the repertoire. He also wrote 7 romantic, somewhat lush symphonies and film scores for the docummentary Malta GC (1942) and David Lean's film Oliver Twist (1948). He was Master of the King's/Queen's Music from 1942-1952

early in his career Les Baxter played the tenor sax, but he was attracted towards arranging. The British composer Harry Revel had composed a suite inspired by the fragrance of different perfumes, and RCA agreed to record it for a set of three 78s, later transferred to LP. Revel had been captivated by the sound of the theremin as used by Miklos Rozsa in his score for the 1945 film "Spellbound", and he decided that this should form the basis for his work. But he needed strings and voices, and RCA engaged the unknown Leslie Baxter to arrange and conduct the album. The project was not successful commercially at the time, but Baxter fortunately went on to make his own name with hits such as Unchained Melody and Quiet Village

English theatre organist, composer and arranger who, after war service in the RAF, became organist and director of music at Holy Trinity Church, Paddington, as well as teaching organ and musical appreciation at St Gabriels College, London

Bayle, François

27 Apr. 1932France

pupil of Messiaen; composer of film music as well as music employing electronics

writer, poet, printer and composer. Most of what has survived of his output is in four-parts and is polyphonic

Bazzani, Francesco Maria

c. 1650

c. 1700

Italian composer and teacher

Bazzini, Antonio

11 Mar. 1818Brescia, Italy

10 Feb. 1897Milan, Italy

Italian violinist and composer who had played for Paganini when he was 18. He taught at the Milan Conservatory from 1873 and became it's director in 1882. His most famous work for the violin is the Ronde des lutins (The Goblin's Round)

pianist; composer of first symphony of importance produced in America, entitled Gaelic Symphony. She wrote one work for organ: Prelude on an old folk-tune in A Opus 91 (The Fair Hills of Eire, O,, transcription by Mrs. Beach of piece in D-flat originally for piano), 1922[supplementary information provided by Terry L. Mueller]

Stirlingshire violist and composer Sally Beamishs work embraces chamber, vocal, choral and orchestral music, and is widely performed and broadcast

Beament, James William Longman

17 Nov. 1921Crewkerne, Somerset

10 Mar. 2005Cambridge

entomologist and biophysicist, for many years Fellow and Tutor, Queens' College, Cambridge (1961-89), who composed music for the Queen College Amateur Dramatic Society (BATS). He taught acoustics and became a member of the Composers' Guild. He wrote a send-up of Carmen and Francesca and Giovanni, 24 variations on the old ballad; they were conducted by two bright young music scholars, Mark Elder and Richard Hickox, and an operetta, Shudder with Mother, based on the Ladybird Readers. Oddy in Troyland (1974) exploited dance rhythms

composer, pianist and music educator, whose has written work for voice, piano, ensemble and orchestra much of it influenced by her visit to Papua New Guinea and her studies with Cokorde Agung Mas

Beatriz de Día

fl. late 12th/early 13th century

or Comtessa de Día, Beatriz was the daughter of Count Isoard II of Día (a town on the Drôme in the marquisate of Provence). According to her vida, she was married to Guillem or Guilhem de Poitiers, Count of Viennois. Her song A chantar m'er de so qu'eu no volria is the only canso by a trobairitz to survive with its music intact

Beatson, John

fl 1780

Hull clergyman and psalmodist who published 'A complete collection of all the tunes sung' (c 1780)

if I were to sum up William Beckfords compositions in a phrase, I should say that he was a clever linnet. That is to say, he was a natural melodist with an instinctive sense of song form. Although Beckford self-consciously modeled his style on Mozart, his best melodies have the untinctured simplicity of the semi-folk tunes found in The Beggars Opera. Despite a life encompassing that of Beethoven, Beckfords musical sensibilities remained firmly rooted in the ancien regimes galante idiom. He may have prefigured the tortured Gothick world of Byron & Mary Shelley in literature, but in music he never really went beyond the pleasantries of the 18th-century drawing room[opinon above taken from William Beckford]

pupil of Mozart, Haydn and Albrechtsberger; central figure in the early Romantic movement which is reflected in him describing himself as a 'tone-poet'. His 9 symphonies, 17 string quartets, 32 piano sonatas and a Mass in D are amongst the finest works in their genre, the later compositions written in spite of the onset of steadily increasing deafness from the age of 30[entry corrected by Michael John Hooley]

Canadian organist and composer who, since 1982, has been a full-time faculty member at the Université de Montréal where he is now a full professor teaching composition and writing skills

Bell, Larry Thomas

17 Jan. 1952Wilson, NC, USA

American teacher pianist and composer

Bell, W(illiam) H(enry)

20 Aug. 1873St. Albans, England

13 Apr. 1946Gordon's Bay, Cape Province

English composer and teacher

Bella, Ján Levoslav [Johann Leopold]

4 Sep. 1843Liptovský Svätý Mikulás

25 May 1936Bratislava

Slovak composer

Bellak, Richard

1945Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

American composer who studied piano with Jerome Lowenthal, conducting with Milan Horvat and composition with Andre Vauclain. He graduated from Florida State University, Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania

Bellamy, Peter

1944

1991

English singer, songwriter and concertina player. His settings of Rudyard Kipling's poems were very popluar in folk music circles as was his folk opera The Transports, about convicts transported to Australia

Bellamy, Richard

11 Sep. 1813

English bass and composer

Bellanda, Lodovico

fl. 1593-1613

Italian composer

Bellante, Dionisio

c. 1642

Italian composer

Bellasio, Paolo [Belasio]

20 May 1554

10 Jul. 1594

Italian composer and organist

Bellavero, Vincenzo [Belaver, Bell'aver, Bell'haver]

c. Sep. 1587

Italian composer and organist

Belle, Jan

before 1552

Flemish composer

Bellermann, (Johann Gottfried) Heinrich

10 Mar. 1832

10 Apr. 1903

German music scholar and composer

Bellermann, Konstantin

1696

1 Apr. 1758

German composer

Belleville, Jacques de

fl. early 17th century

French organizer of court entertainments, dancer, violinist and composer

although clearly intimated connected with the Ferrarese court, Girolamo Belli seems never to have held a recognised position within the Ducal musical household; rather, his connections appear to have been forged through his apprenticeship with Luzzasco Luzzaschi. He also seems to have received particular favour from the Duchess, Margherita Gonzaga d'Este

Belorussian composer of mostly orchestral, choral and piano works. He co-founded with Galina Gorelova, Vyacheslav Kuznetsov, Dmitry Lybin, Yevgeny Poplavsky, and others the Belorussian Society for Contemporary Music in 1990. He has served as editor-in-chief of music and entertainment programs for the Belorussian National State Broadcasting Company since 1995.

Brazilian popular musician. His characteristic style fuses samba, funk, and rock into samba-rock, with lyrics that blend humour and satire often with more esoteric material

Ben Haim, Paul (see Ben-Haim, Paul)

Benaut Mlle

1778France

composed two collections of "Airs with Variation for harpsichord or piano," a set of variations on an air by Salieri, and four sets of variations on arias by Grétry. Her music exemplifies the fashionable salon music of her era. Beyond this, little is known of her life

Benatzky, Ralph [Rudolf Josef Frantisek]

5 Jun. 1884Moravské Budejovice

17 Oct. 1957Zürich, Switzerland

Austrian-German composer

Bencini, Antonio

fl. 1730-42

Italian composer

Bencini, Giuseppe

fl. 1723-27

Italian composer and musician

Bencini, Pietro Paolo

c. 1670

6 Jul. 1755

Italian composer

Bencze, Balázs

1967Hungary

composer, literature teacher, lute- and guitarplayer and leader of 'Tabulature', an early music ensemble

who also wrote under the name Alan Brisbane, Australian pianist and composer who wrote music for films as well as a symphony and 4 operas. He is known also for his Jamaican Rumba. He spent his creative life in England and it was Benjamin who first taught Muir Mathieson at the Royal College of Music, and Matheson would later offer Benjamin a commission, thus providing Benjamin an entrée into the world of film music

although primarily thought of primarily as a lyricist of popular songs from 1941 until his demise in 1989, Benjamin and composer George Weiss always regarded themselves as joint composer and lyricist for songs like When the Lights Are On Again (All Over the World)

British composer, conductor and pianist who was a pupil of Messiaen. Notable among the many performances of his music are the new music festival Carte blanche à George Benjamin at l'Opéra Bastille (1992) and portrait concerts at the Salzburg (1995), Tanglewood (1999) and Ultraschall (2002) festivals. Most recently, the London Symphony Orchestra featured many of his important orchestral works (2002-03), ten works were performed in Tokyo (2003) and nine works were performed in Berlin (2004-05)

Benn, Johann

c. 1590

c. 1660

German composer and organist resident in Switzerland

Bennet (or Benet), John

1575-80

1599-1614

composer of fine madrigals who contributed to The Triumph of Oriana

Bennet, Robert

fl 1714-18

psalmodist from Nottingham who published 'A collection of the choicest and best psalm tunes' (1714) and 'The psalm-singer's necessary companion' (1718)

Bennett, Alfred William

1805

12 Sep. 1830

organist of Chichester Cathedral, composer of liturgical works and author of Instructions For The Spanish Guitar, London 1828

drummer, pianist, composer, arranger and producer of popular music. He is best known as drummer of the UK Rock n roll group The Shadows. As well as his work with the Shadows he is also a prolific composer, particularly of soundtrack music for films and television programmes

an American composer and arranger, best known for his orchestration of many well-known Broadway musicals by other composers such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, and Richard Rodgers

the grandson of the Victorian composer and conductor William Sterndale Bennett, T.C. Sterndale Bennett earned a reputation for his mainly humorous ballads. Other songs by him were interpolated into stage shows as diverse as the revue Back to Blighty and Shakespeare's Measure for Measure

child prodigy who was encouraged by Mendelssohn and Schumann; his compositions never fully realised this early promise and, indeed, many feel that his early works are better than those he wrote in later life. He was appointed principal of the Royal College of Music (1868)

Benoist (or Benoît), François

10 Sep. 1794Nantes, France

6 May 1878Paris, France

French organist, accompanist and chorus master who was a composer of operas, ballets, and a 12-vol. Bibliothèque de l'organiste

he was active in Venice in 1530 but in 1546 he took up a position as maestro di cappella in Verona. He married for a second time in 1553 to the rich and widowed noblewoman Giustina de Simeonibus (or Simionibus). He is best known for his madrigals Primo, secondo et terzo libro del capriccio published in 1561

pupil of Piston, Nadia Boulanger and Milhaud; edited The Musical Mercury with Bernard Hermann; staff member of Brandeis University from 1953-1980, after which appointed Professor Emeritus; composed chamber music and songs, perfectly designed works of extraordinary craftsmanship; also noted writer on musical matters and one of America's most respected critics

nicknamed le roi de la Valse, Berger was the composer of the famous Amoureuse - Valse Lente, although he actually wrote numerous piano pieces, mainly dances (waltzes, polkas, redowas, etc.) as well some other "characteristic pieces

one of the few women musicians to receive considerable recognition in the Netherlands, both during her lifetime and thereafter. Her compositional talent manifested itself at the age of nine and was one of the first musicians of her time to appreciate and perform J.S. Bach's music, foreshadowing the later Bach renaissance in the Netherlands

organist and composer of church music (music for choir and several Masses), chamber music (including music for piano and for organ), 2 symphonies, a Choral-Sinfonie, a Konzertante Sinfonie and music for orchestra (Concerto grosso, Concertino für Fagott, Konzert für Orchester und Pauken (Westfälisches Konzert), Kammersinfonie, Symphonische Phantasie und Fuge and Songs for Orchestra

Alan and Marilyn Bergman were born in the same New York city hospital but met and married in Los Angeles. After their marriage, they began composing for TV and film as well as writing for singers. They are best known for writing lyrics to hits such as The Way We Were (1973), The Windmills of Your Mind (1968) and Nice N' Easy (1960)

a major figure in Finnish Modernism. His early works, written in the 1930s and early 1940s, were Romantic in style  and he has since withdrawn many of them  but in the late 1940s he began to seek a more chromatic style. In 1952, he wrote the piano work Espressivo, becoming the first Finnish composer to employ dodecaphony, although he himself has said that it was merely "an attempt at dodecaphony". Ever since then, he remained at the cutting edge of Finnish Modernism. Bergman made his breakthrough with dodecaphonic and Serialist works, i.e. as a Constructivist, but he is best known for the colourful style that he evolved in the 1970s

pupil of Ghedini and Dallapiccola, Berio is a modernist whose music has aroused strong passions amongst critics. He has explored also the use of electrophonics. His wife Catherine Berberian (1925-1983) was an American composer, mezzo-soprano singer, and vocalist

after studying with Nadia Boulanger in Paris (1927-1932), Lennox Berkeley composed a wide range of music including 3 symphonies, 2 piano concertos, Four Poems of St. Teresa for contralto and orchestra, film music and operas

the eldest son of the composer Sir Lennox Berkeley, Michael studied composition, singing, and piano at the Royal Academy of Music but it was not until his late twenties, when he went to study with Richard Rodney Bennett, that Berkeley began to concentrate exclusively on composition. The first few works from this period, including a group of Latin motets, the 'String Trio' and the 'Oboe Concerto,' were written in a broadly tonal idiom and attracted considerable attention. In 1977 he was awarded the Guinness Prize for Composition; two years later he was appointed Associate Composer to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. The climax of this first period came in 1982 with the oratorio 'Or Shall We Die?' to a text specially written by Ian McEwan, and made into a remarkable film for British television by Richard Eyre

composer of high quality popular song, musical comedy and film music, including Alexander's Ragtime Band, Puttin' On The Ritz, God Bless America and I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas. The noted composer, Jerome Kern, was once asked by a reporter where Irving Berlin's place was in American music. Kern replied "Berlin has no place in American music, he IS American Music."

in 1960 at the age of 50, he became the first person at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America to earn the degree of Doctor of Sacred Music. He has held the posts of organist at Temple Emanu-El, New York, and Minister of Music to the Washington Hebrew Congregation. He was the founder and director of the Shir Chadash Chorale, a choir distinguished by its pioneering programs of historical and contemporary Jewish music

guitarist and France's greatest Romantic compose. His works often employ vast numbers and are inspired by gothic subjects but he also wrote fine music on a smaller scale, for example the lyrical Nuits d'Été. A guitar given to Berlioz by Paganini is now in the Paris Conservatory Museum[place of birth corrected by David Teitelbaum]

a student of Herbert Howells at the at the Royal College of Music, Bernard's first major break as a composer was at the age of 17 when he met Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears, for whom Bernard later wrote a song cycle. During 1950-1951, he served as Benjamin Britten's amanuensis and assisted him with Billy Budd. Bernard had been at school with Christopher Lee, the latter going on to star in a great many horror films for Hammer Studios, for which his friend James Bernard would write the scores. He started at Hammer with the music for The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) and eventually produced over 20 Hammer film scores

writer of the famed Nelson anti-Hitler Revues at the Tuschinsky Cabaret in Amsterdam during World War II, he wrote 60 shows and over 600 songs in less than three years  a feat never before accomplished in show business history

Berneker, Constanz

31 Oct. 1844

9 Jun. 1906

German conductor and composer

Berner, Friedrich Wilhelm

16 May 1780

9 May 1827

German organist, teacher, composer, and musical organizer

Berners, Sir Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson Lord

18 Sep. 1883 Arley Park, Bridgnorth, UK

19 Apr. 1950Farringdon House, Berkshire, England

diplomat, painter and an effective composer whose eccentricity in real life was never prevented from showing itself in his musical compositions which include ballets, a one-act opera, smaller scale works and a few British films

Berners, John

1961Milwaukee, USA

composition studies began privately with C. Curtis-Smith in Kalamazoo, MI and continued at the University of Michigan under William Albright, Evan Chambers, Bright Sheng, Michael Daugherty and William Bolcom. His works have been played by the Detroit Symphony, the Boston Symphony brass section, the Tanglewood Festival Brass, Kalamazoo Symphony, Brave New Works, the Michigan Chamber Brass and many college ensembles. His music has been recorded by pianist Alan Huckleberry, the Millar Brass Ensemble, and Boston's Old South Brass

pianist and composer, particularly of film scores such as those for Men in War, Drango, God's Little Acre, The Ten Commandments, Walk on the Wild Side, The Sons of Katy Elder, The Return of the Seven, The Great Escape, The Caretaker, The Silencers, The Carpetbaggers, Summer and Smoke, Hawaii, Where's Jack?, True Grit, Desire Under the Elms, The Hallelujah Trail, Baby the Rain Must Fall, My Left Foot, The Grifters, Rambling Rose and The Age of Innocence. In 1967 he won an Oscar for the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie and was nominated for the award 14 times

conductor and pianist; his outstanding success with musical comedy, On the Town, West Side Story and Candide tends to overshadow his work as a writer of symphonies, smaller orchestral and choral works and as an inspirational promoter of classical and popular music

a Norman trouvère who wrote Tristan, a Norman language version of the legend of Tristan and Iseut of which a certain number of fragments (approximately 3000 verses) have been preserved; it is the earliest representation of the so-called "vulgar" version of the legend (the "courtly" version being represented by fragments from Thomas of Britain's poem)

the song Laudate Dominum sets words from Psalm 117 to the Folia theme; it was composed in about 1980 by Jacques Berthier for the Taizé community, an ecumenical, international community founded in 1940, in Taizé, in central France, and it has become one of the best-known of the songs of Taizé. The song is published by the Ateliers and Presses de Taizé in numerous songbooks, which include solo verses in different languages and instrumental accompaniments

a French soldier and a medieval troubadour poet, Bertran de Born was viscount of Hautefort. He warred with his brother Constantin for the sole possession of the family heritage. According to a Provençal biography, Henry II of England believed Bertran had fomented the rebellion of his son Prince Henry. Dante Alighieri portrayed him in the Inferno as a sower of schism, carrying his head in his hands as punishment

Bertrand, Aline

1798France

1835Paris, France

a noted harpist who studied at the Paris Conservatoire, she published several works

a French composer of the Renaissance. Early in his life he was a prolific composer of secular chansons, and late in his life he wrote hymns and canticles, under the influence of the Jesuits. He was murdered by Protestants during the French Wars of Religion

widely known as 'Pat Best', he was a member of the singing group 'The Brown Dots, a popular bit-part actor (1930s-40s) in 118 Hollywood films where, if he was given any screen credit at all, he was listed in the on-screen credits only as "Sleep 'n' Eat". When only 14 years old, he composed both the words and music of the popular tune (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons (pub. 1945)

a crusader and trouvère poet. Only 14 works of poetry attributed to Conon de Béthune have survived, and several of these attributions may be doubtful. His poetry was written to be sung and ten of his poems give musical notation

Bétune must have been an exceptional lutenist because he was the highest paid musician of any category at the court during the period 1620-1720. His appointment commenced 26 June 1649 and ended in September 1651. Unfortunately his Christian name is not given anywhere, but some notes in Swedish sources can perhaps throw further light on this issue. In a court ballet, which was performed in November 1649 "the son of a French lutenist, named Betun" played the part of Cupido. Béthune seems to have brought his family with him to Sweden as several members of it participated in the entertainments at the coronation of queen Christina. Béthune himself, his brother and his son are listed among the lutenists who played on this occasion. Even a "Mademoiselle Bethune" is mentioned in this connection. "Hercules Bethun" and the "two Bethun" appear in another court ballet, performed in January 1651. Hercules probably acted the part of a dryad, which could suggest that he was a rather young person and the "two Bethun" acted the parts of two of the Muses. Even though it is difficult to prove Kenneth Sparr (from whose work this information has been taken) is inclined to believe that Hercules was the son of Béthune, who in turn could be Michel de Béthune. The brother then could be Josias Béthune. Besides it is noted in the account books of Danish "Hofkapelle" that "the Frenchman Béthune" in the year 1702 received 50 rixdollar for giving the king lessons on the angélique, an instrument for which a 'Michel Béthune le Cadet' (or possibly Christian de Béthune) wrote Folies d'Espagne (c.1681) - the manuscript is now housed in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. This Béthune can hardly have been Michel or Josias. Who was then "Béthune le cadet"?

Bethune (Green), Thomas [Blind Tom]

25 May 1849

13 Jun. 1908

Black American pianist and composer

Betoulinsky, Anna (known as Anna Marly)

30 Oct. 1917Petrograd, Russia

15 Feb. 2006Lazy Mountain, Alaska, USA

singer, songwriter and composer, called the "Troubadour of the Resistance", who wrote more than 300 songs, but is best known for her The Song of the Partisans, composed in London during the Second World War. Translated inaccurately into French, the song, now entitled Le Chant des Partisans became the signature tune of the 'Free French Radio' in London

remembered today for his stirring bass solo The Admiral's Broom, arranged for male voice choir by Henry Geehl and with the accompaniment to the solo version scored for orchestra by Howard Carr, Bevan appears largely and perhaps wholly to have confined himself to composing ballads

Beveren, Achiel van

5 Mar. 1904Anvers, Belgium

10 Dec. 1985Anvers, Belgium

composer, singer, choral director and teacher

Beversdorf, Thomas

8 Aug. 1924Yoakum, Texas, USA

15 Feb. 1981Bloomington, Ind. USA

American composer

Bevignani, Enrico

29 Sep. 1841Naples, Italy

29 Aug. 1903Naples, Italy

Italian conductor and composer

Bevilacqua, Matteo (Mathieu)

1772

1849

Italian guitarist and composer. Editions of his music were published in Vienna, Berlin and Paris

German composer who moved to the United States in 1923. She studied at various schools in New York and individually with Dane Rudhyar, Charles Seeger, Henry Cowell and Ruth Crawford, after which she began a highly productive and interesting period of composition which lasted from 1932 to almost 1940. She was one of the first composers of the Western world to focus on percussion. Only one work IV (1935) was published in her lifetime, and her name appeared as 'J.M. Beyer', apparently to disguise her gender. IV is composed for nine unspecified "percussion" instruments, and is in a constant state of flux in which tempo and volume are always subtly changing